Reflection
by Kitsune-Miko-Tenshi
Summary: How did a man that died staring at his own reflection ever become to be regarded as a hero? Upon discovering a golden book, Neil finds himself questioning his own role in the hands of fate and must return to the Elysian Fields to ask his ancestor himself.


The foot note has a lot more information that will clarify somethings that happen in this one-shot. I hope you guys enjoy this story. I don't own COTT.

* * *

Reflection

He didn't know how he had gotten hold of the book or why he even dared to read it. Maybe it was its golden silk bound cover, the gleaming threads of silver or the cursive writing splayed on the front, but from the very beginning the contents had captivated him beyond belief and he just had to know what all of it meant.

Something about the book, the lyrical speech patterns the intricate weaving of emotion and the simplicity of it all struck him and for once Neil found himself thinking about so much more than just his looks.

Tip toeing across the floor Neil opened the door to Persephone's solarium and peaked around to the corners. The room was dark all except for the glowing flowers and the slightly fluorescent feeling of the grand mural boldly portraying the four Horae.

Peaking around one more time making sure that Persephone was nowhere to be seen Neil snuck into the room and quickly shut the door behind him. It was one o'clock in the morning; he had walked from the brownstone down to the school in less than fifteen minutes and had broken into the janitor's closet discreetly.

Neil scrunched up his nose as he realized how much beauty sleep he was losing from something as simple as curiosity, not only that though, he had exerted physical effort just to get to the school. "Why isn't this place any closer to the Brownstone?" Neil muttered to himself as his eyes flashed across the room.

At this very instant Neil was grateful for his luck, not that he ever wasn't, but in this moment it was more useful to him rather than in saving the world. "Stupid crazy god of time probably would have been sun tanning in the tropics by now if it wasn't because of him."

Neil strolled through the solarium taking little notice of the plants that twisted and slithered as he approached and almost reached out to him in a creepy sense of longing. "Yes, I know…I know you just wish you had my kind of beauty…" Neil almost trailed off on his sentence as a thought entered his brain. He hissed slowly between his teeth and sped up his pace only stopping when he was before the large mural.

Just as still as they were before, all four of the Horae were suddenly very much alive. Three of the Horae simply looked down at him and giggled before turning to each other and talked in hushed whispers. Occasional glances were shot his way followed by more laughter and whispering.

One of the Horae smiled at him, she was the one with branches for hair and green looking rags for a dress. Neil shook his head; he had no idea what these things could do and if they could read minds his fashion sense was not by his side tonight. "You don't come here very often," the Horae representing spring murmured.

Neil shook his head, "I need to know something."

"Oh, I know what you want to know descendant of Narcissus, my sisters and I have only been waiting," Spring murmured yet again her voice gentle yet resilient.

Neil's eyes brightened up into crystal blue orbs, "than can you tell me right here, right now?"

"Oh no, that won't be possible. Simply because we know of your curiosities does not mean we know the answers. Narcissus has always been mysterious in that way, though I have never met him myself."

"Then let me through," demanded Neil as he took one step closer to the giant mural fully aware that Persephone could return to her solarium at any moment in the night.

"Only if you promise to tell us of your discoveries when you return," the Spring Horae muttered. The other three jittered excitedly behind her, their eyes piercing as they stared at the lucky boy.

Neil bit his lip before instantly releasing it grabbing his mirror and holding gently before him. He examined his lip to see if any damage was done before looking up at the exquisite painting, "fine, whatever as long as you let me through."

The Horae giggled and consented to his wish open the mural with their tangled hands and showed him the dark passage way to the Underworld. "Do be careful while you are there, if you die it will be upon our heads," Spring smiled as Narcissus walked by her.

_Reflection_

The Elysian Fields were as beautiful as they had always been and Neil did not need a lot of luck in order to find his ancestor. As always Narcissus was sitting calmly by a still pool and staring deep into its murky depths.

Neil approached the young hero quietly and sat down beside his ancestor a domineering question burning at his throat. Narcissus looked up at him for only a moment before starring right back at his reflection. "How can a man who died admiring himself be a hero?" Neil blurted out as he pulled out his mirror making sure that his hair was still perfect and that no worry lines had appeared on his face.

Narcissus smiled, "not many have questioned, very few truly know."

Neil looked up at the man that so closely resembled him, but of course he did look better than any ancient ancestor he was to ever have. Also, Neil felt that he was at least a little bit smarter. "What is it then? How are you in Elysian Fields and not in a different realm punished for pride and vanity? Not to be rude you know, but that's how the world is supposed to work."

"I see that you have been doing some reading Neil."

"Answer me before I mess up your hair and refuse to give you my comb."

"Heroes are defined in many different ways, sometimes for great feats like that of Hercules, Theseus, Jason, Odysseus and Achilles, but other are defined by their determination and love," Narcissus stated at he stirred the water beneath him scattering his reflection into gentle ripples before they returned to a flat surface. "Atalanta would be considered more becoming in this category, as I."

"Love? If all it takes to get into Elysian Fields is to love yourself, many evil men would have landed themselves here by now. Crazy people that "loved" for no reason too for they would never be as gorgeous as us."

Narcissus smiled at Neil gently, "the only reason that you would have questioned any of this would have only been if you discovered something that you would have never expected."

Neil bit his lip again and this time didn't even make a pass for his mirror. "You are…right. However I am half hoping that what I know is not true because it would only mean…"

"Just because I have changed in your view does not mean that you have changed."

"But it would also explain my luck sort of…kind of."

"Indeed it would."

"Tell me Narcissus, tell me the truth."

"The truth, than yes Neil…I did have a twin sister."

_Reflection_

"I was born not alone but with another child by my side. Only a few minutes younger than I and no more or less fairer as well. We grew up together and loved each other because she was my sister and we looked so much alike. She like I had tendrils of fine silky hair that was the colour of the sun and eyes as blue as the deepest sea. She walked like a fair maiden and yet hunted with me like a warrior.

We were two halves of a whole and were rarely seen apart. She was the one true love of my life and I was hers for no sibling bond could ever surpass emotional love. However physical ties were so impossible and so we settled for subtle glances and discreet touches.

We were happy together and no one in the world could have ever suspected that there was anything more to us than a relationship of brother and sister.

Happiness of course, for us at least, could not and would not last forever. It was a terrible winter if I do so recall and she had fallen ill. I remember her rasping breaths, her reassuring words and her watery eyes. I only now suspected that all through her sickness she knew that she was going to die.

By the end of the winter my true love was gone and I was left alone in a world that I had not known. The only other time in my life that I had lived without another half was for the couple of minutes that surpassed as my parents awaited her birthing. But again I was alone in the world and I feared that it would stay that way for an infinite duration of time.

As spring passed and the snow began to thaw I walked by a glimmering pool of water. Never before had I have to gaze upon my own reflection for my sister would always be before me but never before had had I felt so desolate either.

I approached the pool, which may or may not have been the best decision of my life and stared within its watery depths. Within it I saw the greatest beauty that I could ever gaze upon, a half that through a reflection had once again become a whole.

And so I could not tear my eyes away for fear of tearing my soul in half with it, and so I sat and withered away. And for my love, for my devotion I was instantly whisked away to the Elysian Fields, still fated to never see my sister again."

_Reflection_

"So in essence yes I stared at myself until I died," Narcissus laughed with a grunt and turned to his descendant who was so much like and so much unlike him. "You have inherited my traits and my sister's traits; of course you are only fated to find yourself beautiful and love yourself irrevocably."

"So my whole entire life so far hasn't been a lie? I really do take after you but in a different sense of the word," murmured Neil.

"Yes, yes indeed that is correct. You also have no fear of vanity and pride, those punishments you are not meant to suffer."

Neil stood up with a huff, "who ever said I feared such foolish things. Thank you Narcissus, but I will be taking my leave now." Pulling out his mirror Neil spun on his heal and started to walk away from his ancestor while making sure his hair was absolutely perfect.

However in the reflection of the mirror Neil could not help but feel sorry for the ancestor who even after his death still stared hopelessly into a pond. Turning around slowly Neil took in a deep breath as he prepared for his moment of pity, "I'm sorry you never saw your sister again, but if you really want to keep staring into that lake, why don't I just bring you a mirror."

Narcissus smiled up at him and shook his head. "There is no need Neil, I am content with what I have here."

"A pool…"

"No. A passage, I was granted one gift here though it took me a while to discover it. I had ended my life searching through a reflection in the water for my sister and here in the Underworld where much more can happen I discovered that I had found her."

"What?"

"Wherever my sister resides in this realm there is a pool identical to this one. If she were to stare in that pool she would be able to see me and when I stare into this pool I would be able to see her. The gods gave me my greatest gift of all, though I cannot touch her. I can talk to her and that is all that I have ever needed."

"Oh alright then…"Neil muttered still not quite understanding yet understanding all the same.

Narcissus watched as Neil once again turned away from him and exited the fields returning to the world in which he belonged, for the mean time.

"Narcissus, oh Narcissus how much credit you give to me."

The handsome man grinned as he looked back into the surface of the water. He was no longer gazing at his own reflection but into the eyes of a girl with long tendrils of silky gold hair and cerulean blue eyes, "my love."

_Reflection_

Neil walked back down the tunnel and approached the entrance of the solarium. He waited not but a second before light poured down onto him and he stepped out onto the crisp clean white ground that was his second home.

"So what did you find?" asked the Horae of Spring. Neil grinned up at her before looking into his mirror again.

"I found out that I am beautiful and well loved," stated Neil as he casually strolled out of the solarium not even checking to see if a goddess had indeed returned to her sanctuary.

The door closed quietly behind him, only ten minutes of time had passed in this world while he was speaking to Narcissus, but it had been enough time for Persephone to return. She appeared gently and gracefully from behind a tall white pillar and stood beside the mural of the four Horae. "He has discovered then, the true meaning of his beauty?"

"Indeed he has goddess Persephone."

"Then my deed here is done and I owe Aphrodite no more."

* * *

I had read somewhere a long time ago that the story behind Narcissus had many different versions. The one we all know is that he looked upon his own reflection, fell in love with himself and could never look away fated to wither away. Another version would involve Echo who appeared in the series and Nemesis. In this version Echo fell in love with Narcissus and he brushed her off. In her sadness she accidentally called upon Nemesis the goddess of revenge. Nemesis in turn cursed Narcissus so when he gazed upon his reflection he fell in love with himself. When he accidentally touched the surface of the water and found out that the person in who he loved was only a reflection, he tore himself apart from agony.

The version that was used in this story was that of where Narcissus had a twin sister in who he loved. In this story I slightly modified their relationship. In the real story it seems as though Narcissus had much greater physical bonds with his twin sister. Otherwise the gazing of his reflection to only see her was part of this version of the tale. Otherwise, the book and stuff is not in anyway to be real and were devices used for this story.

I had always been curious into why Narcissus would be considered a hero and this is my own explanation for it. Though it is very vague and very iffy to say the least I like the concept. This explanation also serves to not alter Neil's personality in anyway other than the fact that he had gained knowledge.

I hope you guys liked it! Please review.


End file.
